This Must Be Paradise: Palm Beach Flower Show

It's not easy to tame the flamboyance of tropical plants and flowers, inducing them to be tasteful and, oh, so neat.

But this is Palm Beach, after all.

When the Horticulture Society of South Florida presented its second annual Palm Beach Tropical Flower Show last weekend, a cleanup crew with brushes and dustpans persistently whisked up each fallen leaf, every smidgen of soil. Faultless clumps of red-and-white impatiens surrounded every palm on the property, and potted citrus trees in blossom or fruit lined the walkways.

But this quest for perfection went a tad overboard in one instance: Some of the lawn areas apparently had been sprayed a dark shade of bluish-green to cover up dry weather blemishes.

The show, staged on the waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach, drew some 15,000 visitors, according to show director Townsley Schwab. Last year the society attracted a similar crowd and didn't break even. But this time, because of more efficient operating, Schwab said it looks like the show did a little better financially.

A dozen or so exhibition gardens formed the backbone of the show. With the theme, "Paradise Found - The Many Gardens of Eden," they ranged from extravagant to practical.

Tropic Temptations of Palm Beach made lavish use of flowering plants: multicolored bougainvillea, white-flowered gardenias and baskets of yellow roses, all surrounding a cherub fountain and tables set for dinner. The pale, natural wicker baskets holding the potted plants were an elegant unifying touch.

At the other end of the spectrum were two small, simple balcony settings, each about 4-by-8 feet and worthy of being copied. One showed sun/salt-tolerant succulents, crown-of-thorns and lantana; the other, representing a shady balcony, held aroids, ferns and begonias. "Your Backyard Garden," a simple rectangle of lawn edged with begonias and impatiens, hibiscus and a single orange bougainvillea for color, was just as sensible.

Fragrance as well as color drew visitors to a formal rose garden, the work of Plantation Spice Growers in Goulds. It was a stunning collection of antique, climbing, hybrid tea and shrub roses.

An air of nostalgia and tradition pervaded much of the show, with an emphasis on white wicker furniture and wooden gazebos. Even a dazzling and colorful display of tropical heliconias, gingers and anthuriums was tempered by a white gazebo and trellis.

There was an emphasis, too, on such old-time plants as yellow-flowered thryallis, fragrant stephanotis, eranthemum (blue sage), a sprawling shrub with flower spikes in a gorgeous sapphire blue, and even petrea (queen's wreath), a wonderful purple-flowered vine which appears all too seldom either in shows or shops.

Surrounding an old-fashioned carriage was a display of delphinium, sage, daisies, roses, begonias and daisies. `Sparkler,' a purple-centered daisy, would be a winner in any garden. Blueberry flax lily, sea pinks (thrift) and a low-growing, succulent grevillea graced the same garden.

Begonias and cannas decked a 1926 Model 51 Horseless Carriage tree crane, the centerpiece of L&D Nursery's "Gardens of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."Dolled up with a coat of dark green paint with red trim, the truck has a long history: When it was new, it was used in planting royal palms in Palm Beach, according to nursery owner Debbie Jarrell of Palm Beach Gardens.

Plant societies from Broward and Palm Beach counties set up displays of bonsai, palms and cycads, begonias, rare fruits and more. And one look at the American Orchid Society's mouth-watering display of white phalaenopsis and other species was enough to convert anyone instantly into an orchid fanatic.

The Marketplace, an array of small booths along the waterfront, offered some bargains. Bunches of dendrobiums or single stems of vanda orchids were going for $3 each. Horticultural Society T-shirts with a heliconia theme - as tasteful as everything else, of course - were available, along with fruit-bearing citrus trees, hanging baskets, topiaries, wind chimes and garden ornaments. And everywhere there were orchids for sale, enough for a show of their own.

If visitors tried to follow the path of last year's event, they were bound to bump into the fence surrounding the city's new amphitheater, now under construction. To compensate for the loss of that acreage, the Horticultural Society this year reached farther north on Flagler Drive, between the city library and the Intracoastal Waterway, and in doing so increased its show area from approximately 5 to 7 acres.

It also made for a meandering and more appealing stroll through the exhibits. "You turn corners and discover something," said show director Schwab.

Joan Brookwell is the former Home & Garden editor of the Sun-Sentinel. She lives in Wilton Manors.